January Transfer Update: Arsenal inform club of surprise January bid for one of Europe’s hottest stars
This is according to French publication, Le10Sport, who write that the Gunners made it clear to Lille in August that they were preparing an official bid in the January transfer window.
There were various barriers to a move back then, including the Gunners restricted summer budget and, more importantly, the early Premier League deadline.
Since telling Lille of their interest though, Pepe has been on fire for his current side. He has six goals and five assists in nine matches this season, as well as winning a penalty against Marseille.
Now there’s plenty of interest coming in from elsewhere. The media have linked FC Barcelona to a move in recent weeks and Bayern Munich are reportedly also ‘looking more and more closely’ at the situation.
For a while, Pepe’s price tag was set at around £30m, but after these recent developments, the French media now put him at more like €50m (£44m).
Arsenal might need to make a move as soon as they get an opportunity before Pepe is completely out of their reach.